UConn Counting On Three Improving Sophomores

STORRS — After an uncomfortable 15 minutes Friday night, UConn had finally put things in order. The Huskies had built a five-point lead when Terrence Samuel got his hands on the ball and floated one up for Kentan Facey, who dunked it.

"Definitely like old times," Facey said.

"We talked about that several times after the game," Samuel said. "It was definitely like the old days in New York."

Samuel, who played at Victory Collegiate High, part of Brooklyn's South Shore Educational Complex, and Facey, who was at Long Island Lutheran, both committed to UConn during the summer of 2012 — the last recruits to commit while Jim Calhoun was still the coach. They were joined by Amida Brimah in January 2013. A few months later, Brimah traveled from Miami to New York to watch Samuel and Facey play in a Jordan Brand regional all-star game. The bonding began there.

They were a relatively unheralded recruiting class coming in for the 2013-14 season, and all served an apprenticeship of sorts on a veteran team. Brimah, now a co-captain, started much of the season and made an impact as a defensive presence and shot-blocker. In the NCAA Tournament, his three-point play, tying St. Joseph's, kept the Huskies alive in the round of 64. Samuel played very little early in the season but eventually earned a niche as a defensive sparkplug, playing crucial minutes against Villanova in the round of 32. Facey spent most of the season on the bench, though he showed flashes of rebounding prowess when he got into blowout games.

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(DOM AMORE)

But all three gained the experience of being part of a national championship team. Before the 2014-15 season opener Friday night against Bryant, they got their championship rings with coach Kevin Ollie's motto — "ten toes in" — inscribed.

"I had a flashback," Sanuel said. "I thought about the guys who are not here, Shabazz [Napier] and Niels [Giffey] and DeAndre [Daniels]. Then I just remembered what it takes to get there, and I want to get back there again."

For that to happen, this trio of sophomores will have to play an important part. Ryan Boatright stepped up with 24 points, 16 in the second half, to lead UConn to its come-from-behind, 66-53 against Bryant, but the lone senior cannot carry the team alone. The game was also a reminder of how important this new wave of Huskies are, how important it is for them to recognize that it is their time to form part of the core.

"Compared to the last [exhibition] game, I stepped it up a notch," said Facey, who started and got five points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes, despite picking up two first-half fouls. "So I guess that is improvement. But we know the next couple of games are going to be a huge challenge and we're going to have to come out with more energy from the get-go."

Facey has slipped into Daniels' old power forward slot, and the energy he brought was something Ollie praised after the game. His challenge to Facey is a familiar one, the one he often issued to Daniels — be a "ball hunter."

"He was great," Ollie said, "he went after every rebound."

Samuel played 34 minutes off the bench. And when Bryant got hot from the three-point line, he was sent in to cool off Dyami Starks. He did the job on defense, but on offense, he also contributed with a couple of drives to the rim, something he did in flashes last year. Samuel finished with six points, two assists and two rebounds. He launched a couple of three-point shots, something he is trying to add to his game and something the Huskies sorely need.

Said Ollie: "Last year, Terrence came in and changed the pace, got steals, defensive pressure, pushed the ball, so we need him to play that way. He has definitely improved on his shot. He's knocking down open shots, but he has to be a force out there when he gets into the game, the tempo's got to change. He understands that. If he's in the starting lineup or coming off the bench, his mentality should never change."

Brimah started and played 28 minutes. The 7-foot center showed some progress in his offensive game, going 6-for-9 from the floor and finishing with some authority. He had 12 points, five rebounds and five blocks. On the defensive end, Samuel's pressure forced Bryant's shooters to go at Brimah, which, of course, proved to be a dead end.

"His impact was big-time," Ollie said. "He had some exceptional blocks, and the ones he didn't block, he altered. And it was allowing our guards to come down and rebound and get us out on the fastbreak. He established himself inside."

With the safety net of last year's upperclassmen gone, Samuel, Facey and Brimah could be on the floor together quite a bit, something they must have envisioned during their weekend in New York in April 2013. Their time is here. Are they ready? The Huskies' early schedule will be unforgiving. Dayton, an Elite Eight team last March, is among the strong teams in the field at the Puerto Rico Tip-off next week and 10th-ranked Texas will be at Gampel Pavilion on Nov. 30 for a game with ramifications that could be felt in March.

"We've got four new starters," Samuel said. "We see the improvement in practice in each guy. The team chemistry is getting better, I feel. We've got to get it together real fast."